Interpreters and translators
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
Interpreters and translators interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another. The role reports a median annual salary of $59,440 in the US and is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.68 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £39,459 a year for Authors, writers and translators (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3412). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Interpreters and translators, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Linguistics — BA (Hons) in a language or English with linguistics papers (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Foreign Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Administrative
- Public Safety and Security
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
A day in the life
You start the morning preparing for a hospital appointment where you will interpret for a patient, reviewing medical terms and adding them to your personal glossary. At the clinic you sit beside the patient, listening closely and rendering each sentence faithfully between doctor and patient without adding opinions of your own. When a cultural misunderstanding arises about a treatment, you gently explain the meaning behind a phrase so both sides understand. After lunch you switch to written work, translating a legal contract, checking every technical term against dictionaries and reference databases so the wording stays consistent. Later you proofread the translation aloud to catch anything that sounds unnatural. Everything you hear and read is confidential, so you keep notes secure. The concentration is intense and the work can be isolating, but helping two people truly understand each other, especially at a stressful moment, makes it deeply meaningful.
In India: In India much of this work involves translating between Indian languages as well as foreign ones, for courts, government departments, publishers and businesses, and a lot of it is done freelance.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
- Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
- Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
- Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
- Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
- Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Interpreters and translators do?
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
What does a typical day look like in Interpreters and translators?
You start the morning preparing for a hospital appointment where you will interpret for a patient, reviewing medical terms and adding them to your personal glossary. At the clinic you sit beside the patient, listening closely and rendering each sentence faithfully between doctor and patient without adding opinions of your own. When a cultural misunderstanding arises about a treatment, you gently explain the meaning behind a phrase so both sides understand.
How much does Interpreters and translators earn?
The median annual salary for Interpreters and translators in the US is $59,440.
What is the job outlook for Interpreters and translators?
The role is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 75,300 workers.
How do I become interpreters and translators?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Interpreters and translators need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Monitoring. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Interpreters and translators?
Our AI-durability model gives Interpreters and translators a score of 0.68 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Interpreters and translators has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.